Certified Safety Professional Test
The Certified Safety Professional (CSP) test, offered by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) is a test for those who are safety experts in their field. The CSP certification is the gold standard for safety. Individuals with this designation have passed the required tests and met the rigorous experience and educational standards. With safety issues becoming more commonplace and more complex, continuing education and experience is always needed to prevent accidents and injuries. Therefore, individuals who have passed the CSP test to become certified are more likely to have better job opportunities, as well as increased salaries and bonuses. In fact, those with a CSP certification earn, on average, $30,000 more per year than those without the certification. In addition, CSPs are required for most government and private contracts.
In order to become eligible to take the CSP test, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in any field or an associate’s degree in the health, safety, or environment fields. They must also have three or more years of professional experience performing safety-related duties, and safety must be the main focus of the candidate’s job. Safety and accident prevention must account for at least 50 percent of their job duties. In addition, the position title must be at the professional level. If the candidate is eligible, he will need to complete an application, which asks for his personal information, college education, professional safety experience, any pertinent certifications, licenses and memberships, and two personal references. Official transcripts are also required. Candidates must submit their materials to the BCSP and pay the $160 fee. If eligible, the candidate can register at any time to take the CSP test. There are hundreds of testing sites nationwide that are open every business day. The eligibility letter will state how long the candidate has to take the test. When the candidate registers, he will pay an additional $350 exam fee.
The CSP certification process consists of two exams: safety fundamentals and comprehensive practice. Both exams cover skills in health, safety and environmental management, engineering, information communications, and management.
- Candidates will be tested on their ability to identify threats and hazards, determine risk, lead audits, perform inspections, interview people, use the Internet, calculate statistics, manage data, create surveys, perform risk assessments, evaluate risk, and comprehend chemical process safety information.
- They also should be familiar with project management and training and educating employees and stakeholders about risk and safety procedures.
- The safety fundamentals test must be taken and passed before the comprehensive practice test can be attempted. However, the safety fundamentals portion is often waived due to a candidate’s job experience.
The CSP test is multiple choice and computer-based. Once the test has been completed, results are available immediately. A passing score is 59.4 percent on the safety fundamentals test and 54.9 percent on the comprehensive practice test. The official results are sent in the mail within three weeks. Those who pass the safety fundamentals portion of the test receive the designation of Associate Safety Professional (ASP) until they pass the comprehensive practice test. The certification is good for five years. Recertification requires 25 recertification points and a $150 fee.